Geranium
by tir-synni
Summary: After the crash, Vash struggles between his brother and his own ideals, and Knives struggles to cleanse the world of the humans and Vash of the humans' taint. When tragedy occurs, the Stampede is destroyed before he is even born. KxV, angst


Title: Geranium  
Author: tir-synni  
A/N: Thanks to sailorlilithchan for looking this over for me! Dedicated to all the nice, nice KxV fans on livejournal. Also, this fic is based on a couple personal challenges to myself. Only one of them is present in this part, though.  
Warnings: Yaoi (not shounen-ai: Yaoi), mentions of mpreg, twincest, gore, and more things to guarantee at least an R rating. You've been warned, so please, no flames.

Part I:

"Can you stand? Vash?"

_Knives? Brother, I had the worst dream._

With a great effort, Vash forced reluctant eyes open. Before his exhausted gaze, the world spun in and out of focus. The odd amber ground shifted and blurred. Vash blinked, and his vision narrowed on the grainy floor against his cheek. It looked like–

Sand.

It wasn't a dream.

**_Rem!_**

Tears of confusion, pain, and fury distorted Vash's already shaky vision. In a rush, sensation flooded his body: his gut cramped weakly from where Knives—_Knives—_had struck him earlier; the scorching alien sand ground pale skin raw. Slowly, the blond hoisted himself onto his elbows, all too aware of the sound of the falling SEED ships roaring through the atmosphere.

**_What did that madman do!_**

Despite the angry tears trembling in the corners of his eyes, Vash could still clearly make out Knives' slender form. Silhouetted against the bloody sky, his brother invitingly hovered over him. Once upon a time, that familiar visage would have been the epitome of safety and comfort.

Never again.

His snarl rising into a low roar, Vash punched at Knives' extended hand. As before, he missed, the older Plant leaping back. "Oh!" Vash could feel his twin on the edges of his mind, half-mad with an odd mix of adrenaline, excitement, and triumphant fury. It matched the manic twist of his lips. "Tsk, tsk."

Vash could still see Rem's face, a single tear sliding down her face as she shut the shuttle door. Feeling half-mad himself, Vash bared his teeth at his brother, inhumanly sharp fangs gleaming. Knives' mocking lips hid his own teeth; the shadows hid his eyes.

_Rem. Rem._

Knives didn't blink at the tears in the golden Plant's eyes. He again extended his hand, only to retract it at Vash's wet glare. "What's your problem?" he demanded, the frenzied bewilderment in his voice only infuriating Vash and contrasting with the paler Plant's oddly confident grin. "You and I are the only brothers we have."

_How can he say that? How can he be this way after . . . after what he's done? Why doesn't he look **guilty!**_

Unable to bear that foreign face anymore, Vash clenched his fists and glowered at the sand. Distraught tears dotted the sand. "Everything. . . ." he choked out, trembling. "It's all your fault! Rem. . . . Everyone. . . . **You killed them all**!"

By the end, Vash was screaming. He didn't care. Vash had stopped caring about things like that when his brother had started laughing in the shuttle.

Above him, Knives grinned wildly, his pale blue eyes staring beyond Vash's shuddering form. "Yeah," he breathed. "It was glorious. Magnificent! Except for the percentage that Rem managed to save."

_He's bragging. He's bragging about killing all those people, about killing **Rem**! Where did my brother go? I want him back! I want my family back!_

Vash chest ached as the first sob escaped. "Knives," he gasped. "You . . .you're . . . not human!"

"Exactly!" Knives roared. Head bowed, Vash never saw the boot that slammed against his face, sending him flying. Pain exploded through Vash's cheek and jaw. Consciousness wavered, and when he came back to himself, he was collapsed on his side in the sand. Head lolling dizzily, Vash closed his eyes. Oblivious, Knives continued ranting. "Don't ever compare me to those faceless vermin. **_Don't ever!_**"

Sprawled in the sand, Vash moaned, and blood and tears mingled with sand in his mouth, thick and salty and gritty. Above him, Knives' rant shifted to a new target, blazing eyes glaring at the falling ships. "Just you watch, **trash**," he hissed. "I'll wipe you all out. In the end, only the two of us will stand on this planet!"

_Rem. . . . _Vash mentally moaned, never raising his heavy head. _Rem . . . what should I do? **What should I do!**_

Feeling those fevered eyes on him once more, Vash forced his own eyes open. Shadowed, damp sand greeted him, so different from the vivid emerald of the ship's Geo-Plant. Contrary to the shining duo in the sky and the blistering sand, ice swept through the Plant's slim frame. He couldn't stop shaking.

Knives snorted, and Vash heard his boots sliding over the endless sand. He didn't know where his brother was going; he didn't have the strength to check. Instead, he trembled where Knives left him, one small fist pressed against his battered cheek. The heat of broken blood vessels radiated against white knuckles. In his mind, he felt Knives through their connection, felt his twin erratically edging back to the calm Vash had relied on for so long. Knives' reckless ferocity faded, and with it, his feral rage and exhilaration. As Vash lay still, sniffling and recovering, he felt—above all else in his brother's mind—pure, irrational hatred. Only now, triumph colored that revulsion. Nausea roiled in Vash's gut.

Uncaring of Vash's wary questing, Knives mentally reached out to the younger twin, trying to coax him to his feet. Angrily, Vash lashed out at him, and Knives recoiled. Another psychic strike and Knives blinked out of his mind. With a flood of hurt rage, Vash shattered the bridge between the twins like fine glass.

For the first time in Vash's life, he was completely alone.

Vash's voice rose in one long, cracking, wet howl.

On the other side of the crashed ship, Knives scowled at the falling ships, still feeling the sting of Vash's fury. It was all their fault. Those miserable creatures. . . . **_It was all their fault!_** The filthy, murdering maggots. . . . They **_massacred_** Tessla! They enslaved the Plants! They destroyed their own world. They deserved it. They deserved everything Knives did to them!

Vash's pained scream tore at Knives, and he shuddered hard. They did this to his brother. They hurt his brother. In his mind, he imagined Vash's innocuous form as ravaged and torn as Tessla's. He imagined his own form like that. Yet still, Vash had attacked him on their behalf.

"You're far superior to this scum, Vashu," Knives snarled, hatred burning in his eyes as he stared at the creatures polluting his and Vash's new world. "You've been spoiled! They've spoiled you! That traitorous **bitch** spoiled you. Comparing me to that vermin, **us** to that vermin! I'll make Eden for us, and I will get my brother back."

Behind him, Vash's howls refused to abate. Grinding his teeth, Knives focused icy blue eyes on a ship crashing close to their own. They would pay. **She** stopped his first attempt, but no one was there to stop him now.

The humans cried and begged, but for some reason, no matter how loud they were, Vash's screams were louder.

xoxoxox

When Vash woke the next morning, he was covered in a blanket and again nestled in the safety of their shuttle. Knives' cool eyes greeted him, and Vash stiffened and turned away. Knives stared silently at him for a long moment.

"Are you still angry, Brother?" Vash clenched his fists at Knives' disapproving tone. Aqua eyes glowered at the wall.

The small blond heard Knives get up and walk in front of him. His brother tried to touch his should, and Vash reflexively smacked his hand away with a closed fist. Reflexively. Without thinking, he pushed his own kin away. Blood trickled down Vash's palms.

"You're acting like a human, Vash," Knives hissed. Vash flinched. His brother sighed. "You are above them. That woman tried to—"

"Rem," Vash ground out, still scowling at the wall. "Her name was Rem."

Knives' fist slammed into the wall beside Vash's head; the golden haired twin flinched. "Shut up!" Knives snapped.

Vash's blue-green eyes whipped away from the wall to glare at Knives. "Rem Seibrem! Your adopted—"

**_Smack!_** Vash fell back against the wall, his already bruised face aching, as Knives slowly pulled back his hand. "Just another traitorous, lowly bug," he retorted coldly. "You'll see that soon enough." Knives stood. "Come along. It's time to leave."

Holding a trembling hand to his battered face, Vash stared disbelievingly at Knives. Three times Knives had struck him thus far, and now it was **time to leave**! Vash's lips curled into a formerly uncharacteristic snarl. He made no move to rise.

Turning away from his twin, Knives grabbed a bag—_Where did he get that from?_ Vash wondered—and slung it over his shoulder. With impatient eyes, he shifted to face Vash. "Well, come along!" the pale Freeborn snapped. "We don't have all day."

_Sure we do_, Vash thought dizzily, resting his worn body against the bulkhead. _We have nowhere to go, no one to go to. We have the rest of our lives_. At the thought of Rem again, the Plant's eyes filled with tears. Knives stared on in disgust.

"Look at you," he scorned. Knives steadied the thick straps on his slender shoulders. "Fine. Be that way. I have plans, and they don't involve staying here!" With a dramatic flourish Vash used to giggle over, Knives turned on his heel and swept out of the small shuttle. Vash watched him leave with wide eyes.

_Is he actually . . . leaving me? He is! He's not even looking back!_

With a low moan similar to a wounded animal's, Vash clutched the blanket around him. The low mournful sound echoed; the young blond shuddered. His psychic wall kept him from sensing Knives' presence. The same loneliness that attacked Vash the day before mocked him now.

_He's a murderer!_ Vash reminded himself viciously. _He killed Rem! He killed without guilt!_

Silence roared in his ears. Teeth chattering, he raked his nails against his thighs. His cheek ached and his body ached and he felt sick and with a long, shaky sob that hurt his chest even more Vash folded over.

He couldn't hear Knives anymore.

Crying out in shame and grief, Vash swept the blankets around him and darted after Knives. As soon as he stumbled out of the shuttle, the light from the twins suns blinded him. Vision blurred by sunlight and tears, the normally observant Plant did not note the imprint of small feet right in front of the shuttle, nor how the trail leading to the stiff figure in front of him seemed hurried and clumsy. All he saw was the slender form walking ahead of him.

_You didn't wait for me, Knives,_ Vash thought, securing the blanket around his shoulders. Feeling more defeated than when he had thought Rem had betrayed them, Vash hunched in the blanket and trudged after Knives.

Resisting the urge to look back, Knives listened to Vash stumbling behind him; the golden twin's feet slipped and slid in the sand. The older twin's hand still stung (_A phantom pain,_ his analytical mind noted. _Like a lost limb_.) from when Vash had struck him away earlier. The move had almost been too quick for his eye to follow. Even the surprise in Vash's eyes hadn't dulled the pain in his heart. In an odd way, it actually increased it.

_Have you forgotten Tessla, Vash?_ he thought fiercely. _We would have been next. This world is next. I'll stop it and create an Eden for us. Then you will understand._

Sharp eyes swept over the barren landscape; sharper ears focused on his tired brother. A familiar shape up ahead caught his attention.

_Eventually, I will be able to wipe out great numbers of their pathetic race. Until then, I'll just have to do what I can._

Knives darted a quick look behind him. Vash's eyes caught his own, and then his brother raised his chin and looked away. Knives gritted his teeth and hurried his steps.

_Those maggots will pay._

He heard Vash's soft cry as he, too, saw the ship. Smirking, Knives focused on the anguished humans milling around the ship's shattered base. He jogged closer, his superior eyes allowing him a range the humans with their pitiful vision could not imagine. But a small speck on their horizon, the small blond gifted the oblivious populace with a cruel smile. He called upon the power he had discovered inherent to their race, had taught himself how to use while Vash played with Her, had crafted with Tessla's violated body burning in his mind and soul.

When blood exploded from the nose and ears of the first human, everything fell silent.

Then a man screamed.

Chaos erupted, women and men and children shrieking and running meaningless as blood fell like lost rain. Knives laughed, childish amusement ringing clearly, and continued extending his powers. He laughed again when he caused one brutish human to rip his own heart out.

This was so easy!

"Knives! Knives, what are you—**Knives!** Stop!"

The bloodbath paused, even if the panicking didn't, as Knives felt his brother's hands on his arm. Knives flashed his fangs in a wild smile at Vash's horrified face.

"Don't you see how simple this is, Vashu?" he chuckled, waving a hand at the shouting, crying humans. "They thought they would destroy us. **Them!** This inferior race!" Shining eyes darted between Vash and the humans. "I am cleaning this world of their stench. Would you like to join me? I can show you how to do this."

Vash's hands tightened on his arm. Knives reveled in the voluntary touch.

"You're massacring them!" Vash cried. "They don't stand a chance!"

Another brilliant smile. "That's the point!" Looking back at the humans, Knives summoned his power once more. It rose to his bidding, thrilling through his veins.

"Stop it!" Vash screamed, and Knives cried out as his brother tackled him to the sand. Wide blue eyes met furious aqua. "Stop it!" Spittle flew from Vash's mouth; Knives simply gaped. Below them, some of the shouts grew enraged.

"You don't get it, do you, Vash?" Knives breathed. "Don't you realize what parasites they are!"

Confusion dimmed Vash's rage. "Parasites? What are you talking about!"

Knives shoved Vash back into the sand. "They use and abuse our kind," he snarled. "They annihilated their old world, they leech off our sisters, they destroy indiscriminately. **Parasites!**"

Vash bit his lip before his fine features hardened again. "That doesn't give you reason to murder in return!" he spat. Sorrow liquefied his eyes. Knives clenched his fists. One name slipped across his brother's face like a shadow. Even with Vash's stubborn wall in place, the older twin knew what his sibling was thinking about.

"You f—" Knives began, but Vash jerked backwards. Shock smoothed his tense face. With a thud, he collapsed back onto the sand. Two pairs of wide eyes stared at the crimson blossoming where Vash held the blanket to his shoulder.

Neither had heard the shot.

In the distance, Knives could hear Vash screaming at him, but his beloved brother's voice was little more than white noise. Knives saw the guns, saw those filthy humans pointing their weapons at **them** . . . and then he saw with a fanged sneer the weapons turn on the humans. The terrified screams began again, but this time Knives didn't bother playing. The humans killed, as humans were wont to do, before they turned their guns back on themselves. Bullets silenced their sobs, and in cases where the hammers clicked helplessly, they clubbed themselves to death.

The heavy use of his power and the long walk under the two suns caught up to the Plant in one dizzying rush. Exhaustion threatened, but Knives didn't relent until he felt all life extinguished from the ship. Even then, he refused to yield to the growing weights in his limbs. The pale Plant turned back to Vash's horrified gaze and the bloody bullet in the sand.

"Our bodies expel foreign materials," Knives mumbled. "Or foreign threats. I wonder to what extent." Then he shook his head and stumbled to his brother's trembling form. Blood still flowed, but with Vash huddled in the blanket, Knives couldn't see how badly.

"You slaughtered them!" Vash managed as Knives tried to peel the blanket away. Knives wondered if his brother was in shock; he wondered if he himself was in shock. "T-they were just—"

"Shush, Brother." Finally, Knives pulled the blood-stained blanket away from the shivering blond. It didn't **look** like it was bleeding too badly. How to tell if it was? Knives scowled darkly. It nothing else, he knew it would probably scar.

"Knives?" The lack of anger and hysteria in his brother's voice attracted Knives' attention. Pained, worried eyes searched Knives' face. "You're—" Then Vash tightened his lips and turned away. Knives smiled, unminding of the macabre scene behind him. Despite Vash's wishes, he could not help but care. Sweet Vashu. Her sentimentalism was good for something after all.

Mood considerably lightened after his brother's show of concern—however reluctant it was—Knives wrapped his arm around the other's slim frame and helped Vash up. Vash remained stiff at his side; Knives didn't care.

"Come on," the older twin grunted, leading Vash down the dune towards the crash site. The metallic scent of blood assailed them long before the reached the corpses. Vash's already pale skin bleached white.

"But—but—but—"

"Shush, Vashu." Heavy lidded blue eyes took no notice of Vash's sickly pallor or frantic eyes, caring only about leading the twins through the killing field to the ship. Vash trembled, pasty lips parted helplessly as Knives led them onto the ship. Bodies littered the halls, but Knives simply tightened his grip on Vash's convulsing, bloodied frame until they came across a small sickbay.

To Knives' relief, Vash didn't argue when the other Plant eased him onto a bed and uncovered his shoulder. Too-wide eyes never flickered from the far corner. Noticing this, Knives flicked his own gaze in that direction, shrugged, and lightly cleaned off the bloodied wound with a dry bandage. He barely noticed his brother's pained winces as he scrubbed at the injury over and over, only smearing the blood. Knives scowled at the crimson-painted shoulder. Again, he wiped at it with the bandage, only giving up when Vash's whimpers rose in pitch.

"The humans dirtied you, Vash," Knives whispered, staring distastefully at Vash's bleeding shoulder. Vacant eyes never looked his way, and Knives sighed, dexterous fingers tightly binding his shoulder with a new bandage. Absently, the pale-haired Plant rubbed Vash's good shoulder. While Vash's pallor and rapid pulse disturbed him, Knives was confident that a Plant was stronger than any human weapon.

With a soft sigh, Knives hopped on the infirmary bed beside Vash. "Rest, Brother." Knives gently pulled the golden Plant's placid body onto the bed with him. Wrapping a cover around them both, he rested Vash's head on his shoulder. His brother never blinked. "Rest," the blue-eyed Plant repeated, a yawn breaking the syllable into two. "Rest. . . ." Drained, Knives wrapped his arms around Vash's stiff frame and drifted off.

Lying tensely against Knives' chest, Vash's eyes never strayed from the four humans in the corner. One had obviously ripped her own heart out. The other three were too drenched in blood to tell the manner of their death.

Knives slept through the night.

Vash never closed his eyes.

xoxoxox

_"I can heal that for you, Vashu."_

_" . . . "_

_"It's scarred, Vashu. I can clean it for you."_

_" . . . "_

_"There is no need for you to bear that mark. Let me–"_

_"Leave it alone."_

_"Vash–"_

_"Leave **me** alone."_

Sometimes, silence howled louder than the wind, and words chilled more than the coldest of desert nights. Blood was thicker than water and stained redder than wine. Days passed, and the twins continued their inauspicious trek through the desert, all alone except for each other and all the lonelier for it. Knives led the way, with Vash a careful distance behind him, too far for his older brother to try and smooth the scarring with his unveiling power. That flaw on his twin's beautiful skin haunted him, but Vash refused any aid. An oddly grieving, proud light shone in Vash's eyes, one that kept him from ever allowing Knives near that hideous mark. So in silence they walked, Knives guiding and far behind Vash following, his shoulder a silent testimony to those killed and left unburied.

_Apparently_, Knives reflected bitterly, adjusting the heavy bag on his shoulders, _he can only lower himself to come near me when protecting Her ideals_.

The heavy bag wore on Knives' slender shoulders and back, and he distracted himself from the growing ache by focusing on the path before him. Vash's distance did aid in one matter: It helped Knives keep his secrets–secrets concerning their powers that Vash was not yet ready to hear and a secret that soothed him concerning his brother's stubbornness.

_Dwell on the humans as much as you desire, Vash_, Knives thought maliciously. _When they grow old and we dwell gracefully in our agelessness, you'll learn the superiority of our race._The pale Plant heard Vash stumble, and Knives jerked his head around to see Vash kneeling in the sand, panting softly. He took a step towards his brother, but the golden Plant's angry glare stopped him. Stiffly, Knives turned back around and continued walking. It was a long moment before his sharp ears heard Vash trudging behind him again.

Of course, Vash's stubbornness could also result in some more dramatic short-term results.

Vash stumbled again, and Knives imagined he could hear Vash's bag snapping in the wind. In response, Knives clutched his own bag.

From what the older Plant had perceived from his sisters and Tessla's files, their kind were divine. Given the proper nutrients and care, Plants could live for centuries.

Given the proper nutrients.

Knives' bag seemed painfully heavy on his shoulders.

_The fool!_ Knives snarled, hearing Vash stumble again. _Those maggots were destroyed. They no longer needed the supplies. Does he fancy killing himself a form of necromancy?_

Still . . . Vash's weakened body also led to weakened resolves. For his brother's sake, Knives had no problem taking advantage of that.

The second sun trailed towards the horizon, and Knives' flesh prickled with the increasing chill. Soon he would have to set up camp–particularly in reference to his heat lamp–but until then Knives remained content to follow the "younger" sun. It enchanted him, always behind but never leaving the other orb. The pale Plant smiled, despite the knowledge that Vash would once again refuse to share the warmth and security of his camp. Vash refused to walk beside him, but he was still there, nonetheless.

Only after the "younger" sun kissed the horizon did Knives pull off his bag and settle onto the sand. His acute ears heard Vash collapse behind him, caught every ragged pant that escaped his baby brother's lips. Knives' smooth jaw clenched. Trembling hands pulled out a pup tent, blanket, and heat lamp. By the time the "younger" sun set, Knives' camp was set up, and he was delicately sipping some warm water in his pup tent. Even after he finished his "dinner" and curled in his bedroll for the night, Knives kept the tent flap open as an invitation to Vash. He doubted his brother would accept.

Knives fell asleep straining to hear his brother breathe.

When Knives woke next, it was to sand whipping into his face and blowing through his tent.

_Sandstorm_, was his first thought, his brilliant mind automatically connecting his past lessons to his current situation. His next thought was far more urgent.

**_Vash!_**

Heedless of the sand burning his eyes and scratching his flesh, Knives struggled out of his tent and into the blinding storm. _Vash!_ he called. His cry bounced off Vash's psychic shield, and Knives resisted the desperate urge to smash through it. No point reaching his brother if he shattered his mind.

The sand shone like snow in the five moons' light and cut like ice, and the howling wind shoved Knives to the ground. Instantly, sand began to cover him, and Knives scrambled frantically upwards. He covered his face with his hands as best as he could and still see, but the sand stung, and he couldn't find Vash.

_Vashu!_ he screamed, dragging his legs forward. The harsh wind and whipping sand almost pushed him to his knees again. The flying grit seemed to mock the young Freeborn's namesake. Knives blamed his tears on the sand. _Vashu!_

The feel of something solid against his legs annihilated every other thought. Knives dropped to his knees. Careless of the sand covering him once more, Knives focused on the slim form, instantly recognizable even buried in sand. Half-blind, Knives dug Vash out of the shifting grit. Grasping the limp body under the arms, the trembling Plant pulled Vash back towards the tent. He couldn't tell if Vash was breathing but that was okay because Vash's mental wall was still up and where was Vash's priorities when he was hurt and maybe dying and all he could think about was keeping that damned wall intact?

Body screaming with the strain of fighting against the sand and Vash a heavy weight against him, Knives stumbled. He knew the tent was behind him somewhere, but it was hard to tell with torrential sand. Quaking, Knives steadied Vash in his arms and kept moving. Distantly, he wondered if She had sent this, always so greedy and wanting his little brother constantly in life. Did she want him in death, too?

_Go away, bitch_, he snarled. _He's mine!_

By some miracle, the tent still stood. Clamping his jaw against the strained panting his body so desired, Knives hauled Vash's unconscious body into the tent. Vash slumped against his brother's buried sleeping bag, sand coating his slender frame. The blue-eyed twin spared him a quick glance before grabbing the tent flaps and struggling to zip up the tent. The wind threatened to knock it out of his hands, but the blond simply gritted his teeth and dragged the heavy zipper shut.

Even with their little haven as secured as possible, Knives could not afford to collapse. Crawling to his brother's side, painfully conscious of the wind battering the thin tent walls, Knives swept the sand away from Vash's face. Inch by inch, too pale skin was revealed, and Knives snarled in rage, uncaring of the sand falling in his teeth. This was madness!

_Due to his own foolishness, he was actually **shot**! Now he preferred to drown in sand then call for aid. I did not save him from the humans for him to die by his own recklessness!_

The tent rocked, and Knives shielded Vash with his own body. To his infinite relief, the small tent held. Shaking, Knives continued cleaning the sand from Vash's limp body.

_He looks broken_, Knives mused idly, making sure the area around Vash's eyes were clear. His finger brushed against is brother's trademark beauty mark. _Her broken doll_.

Tears of rage and fear blurred his vision, but Knives blinked them back. No. He was the strong one. He was the one responsible for wiping out the maggots infesting their world, and he was the one responsible for protecting Vash. Let Vash be weak and cry. He had more important things to do.

Only when Vash's face and bare skin was clean of the gritty mess did Knives attend his own filthy form. Wrinkling his nose in distaste, Knives fastidiously cleaned himself, making sure no sand fell on the green-eyed twin.

_I will tolerate some childishness from Vash,_ the pale Plant thought, raising his chin as the tent rocked. _When we have our Eden, I will even encourage it. But I will not tolerate it when it is endangering his health!_

Like he had when Vash had been shot, Knives pulled his brother into his arms and relaxed. When they had been on the ship, that had been Vash's favorite position. He had loved hearing Knives' heart beating.

The pale blond wasn't sure when he dozed off, but when he opened his eyes again, the wind had quieted, the suns lit up the tent, and Vash stirred against his chest. The older Freeborn silently watched as Vash groggily rubbed his heavy eyes and yawned. Knives' eyes iced over when the golden twin stiffened in alarm.

"Do you remember the sandstorm?" Knives inquired curtly, not giving Vash time to recover. "Did it wake you up, or did you sleep through it?"

Knives stared hard at Vash as his little brother paled in remembrance. Vash's lower lips trembled, but to Knives' pride, the other Plant kept his chin high.

"You could have called for me," Knives continued coldly. "You would have been safe in the tent. Because of your foolishness, you almost died last night."

Vash quivered lightly. Knives offered no comfort.

"How would it help your precious 'ideals,' " Knives sneered, "if you died? You barely eat, you barely drink, you've been shot, and you almost killed yourself in a sandstorm. Your competence is awe-inspiring."

Finally, Vash averted his eyes. Taking that as a sign of submission, Knives nodded. He pulled himself out from under his brother's slender frame and drew out the water and rations. He offered them to Vash, only to scowl as Vash's hands remained limp in his lap.

"You can do nothing if you're dead," Knives reminded Vash, pushing the bag and bottle towards him again. Sightless eyes stared through the objects for a long moment, long enough to make the pale Plant hesitant to do more.

_A broken doll_, Knives remembered. _A broken doll_.

Then something fell over Vash's eyes, and the golden youth slowly reached out and took the proffered items. Mechanically, Vash sipped the water and munched the food. Knives watched him for a moment before he had to look away from those alien eyes.

If Knives knew what Vash was thinking, he would have been more disturbed. _Rem told me the ticket to the future is always blank_, Vash reflected, not tasting the food. He didn't feel wrapper of the nutrient bar, only felt the handle of a long lost blade. He couldn't smell the bar's rubbery aroma, lost in the scent of Rem's blood. That ancient day chilled him even with the desert's heat. _I can't give up; I can't surrender._ The implications behind that thought and memory made him nauseous, and Vash forcibly swallowed. _The ticket to the future is always blank_.

He remembered the panic he felt when he awoke to the rising winds and biting sands. He remembered falling unconscious, his last thought, _I'm going to die_. Most of all, he remembered the urge to call out to Knives and refusing to seek his help, his comfort.

_I don't want to live like this, but what else can I do, Rem?_

After one last swallow, Vash silently offered the bottle back to Knives and crawled out of the battered pup tent. The suns greeted him, and he stared at them, conscious of Knives wiggling out of the tent behind him. Spots danced before his eyes–_burning retinas_–but he didn't look away until after Knives put up the tent. When Knives began walking again, Vash soundlessly followed, more lost and confused than he had ever been in his life.

_What do I do, Rem? What do I do?_

That night, a silent Vash joined his brother for dinner.

xoxoxox

Vash reminded Knives of a skittish animal. Whenever the older twin could detect any emotion in his brother's eyes, they glowed angry and wounded. This was one of those times, as Knives obligingly handed Vash his dinner. Moonlight reflected in Vash's wide eyes as the younger Plant quietly slipped to the other side of the heat lamp.

_He's relaxing a little_, Knives thought optimistically, delicately nibbling a morsel he refused to identify. _We haven't seen any humans in weeks. That's why_.

A slight breeze danced and circled around the twins, and Vash shivered and slid closer to the heat lamp. Knives frowned. Another breeze and the young Plant's body visibly tensed. Knives' lips tightened.

Each movement slow and deliberate, Knives eased his sleeping bag out and placed it close to the heat lamp. He didn't bother reaching for his tent. Wild animals disliked being cornered, a feeling such a small tent could only exacerbate. Knives fluffed a makeshift pillow so no sand would fly into his face as he slept. After sliding partially into the bedroll, Knives extended an inviting hand to Vash.

Aqua eyes glinted in the moonlight. The older Plant wanted to smile reassuringly. He instead sighed loudly in open exasperation. "It's a cold night, Brother. We'd be warmer if we were together."

Silently, Vash finished the last bite of his nutrient bar. The wrapper crinkled in his smooth fingers, and the once bouncy blond shoved the trash into his bag. Those eyes–shielded once more–examined his brother's face. Knives held himself perfectly still, and apparently, Vash found this satisfactory. His movements as cautious as Knives' had been, Vash slunk closer. Knives held the sleeping bag open. The human-loving Plant slipped inside.

Knives hid a smirk.

Back deliberately to his older brother, Vash nestled into the sleeping bag and buried his face in the pillow. Even with Vash pressed against the side of the large sleeping bag, the twins' slender legs still twined together. Knives frowned, noticing how tightly packed they were in the once roomy bedroll. Three weeks ago, the bag would have been able to easily hold them with room to spare.

_Our maturation should end soon_, Knives decided, shifting snugly against Vash's lean body. In contrast to the building chill, Vash radiated heat. The pale twin found himself curling closer until their bodies were tightly pressed together. Vash stiffened but didn't complain, so Knives contently pressed himself into his brother's warmth.

_This closeness . . . is how it should be_.

Knives sighed and inhaled his brother's familiar odor. Inevitably mingling with sand and sweat, Vash's gentle scent soothed him. Knives lightly nuzzled the other Plant's neck, trying to take that indescribable aroma into himself, take **Vash** into himself. Then his brother would never drift away again, never be scarred again.

Knives smiled against his brother's nape. Perfect.

A low warmth smoldered within him, and Knives undulated languidly as he felt Vash relax against him. His brother's breathing enchanted him, soft and deep and mellow, everything about him soft and deep and mellow. Enthralled, Knives ran his hands over the suit clinging to Vash's growing frame. Once he cleaned his younger twin of the humans' taint, Vash would be beautiful beyond all imagining. Already, he was far too perfect for those filthy creatures.

Unconsciously, Knives slid his nose up Vash's neck to behind his brother's ear. His lips accidentally brushed the smooth skin. Knives closed his eyes in pleasure–then froze.

His penis was hard in his suit and nestled against Vash's buttocks.

Knives' breath caught in his throat. Since arriving in the desert, his organ had hardened on several different occasions, but each time Knives had dismissed it as a trifling biological matter and turned his mind to more important matters. Now with his penis partially hardened with blatant sexual arousal against Vash, he could not ignore it.

_Why would Plants be interested in reproductive acts?_ the pale Plant wondered, experimentally rocking his erection against Vash. He shuddered at the liquid warmth pooling in his groin. _Why did I wait until now to think about it? Our sisters are asexual . . . but this does explain why both Vash and I possess a penis in place of a hole to expel wastes, as well as our testicles._

Knives' brilliant mind calculated the information he had, even as his hips unconsciously rocked against Vash. His oblivious brother slept on.

_So we have a sexual drive, but why? If . . . if Tessla's **butchery** has shown nothing else, it showed that Freeborns still possess the means to reproduce asexually. We protect our future offspring inside of us until we decide it's time, and then we reproduce external to ourselves, exactly like our sisters._ His mind drifted for a moment, and Knives wrinkled his nose in disgust. _It also can't be to reproduce with other species. No human would be strong enough to procreate with a Plant, and what Plant would lower themselves to attempt it?_

Another thrust and Knives shivered. His organ had completely hardened, and Knives could no longer keep his eyes open against the pleasure.

_Whatever it is_, the young Plant decided, gripping Vash's hip possessively, _only Vash could possibly be worthy of it. Only Vash–_

Knives gasped against Vash's warm skin, the roaring of blood in his ears drowning out the sound of his twin's breathing. The Plant closed his eyes tightly, no longer thrusting, only grinding, desiring friction against his sensitive length. Vash's pretty face tightened with discomfort, and a soft moan escaped his lips.

That did it.

Without a sound, Knives shuddered and shuddered and shuddered against Vash's back. Liquid splashed in his suit; Knives' hand tightened painfully on Vash's hip. The younger Plant groaned in his sleep. Knives shivered.

_Or it could just be social_, he reflected dizzily, his body falling lax. _Social. Yes. I want to show this to Vash. That's social_.

His last thought before he drifted off to sleep centered around what happened to a Plant's seed when it dried.

xoxoxox

For the first time since the crash, Vash had allowed Knives to hold him. He had slept in his older brother's arms, and the security he had found there shamed him. He had slept better that night than he had since arriving on this new world. The next morning he had awoken feeling a bit like his old self, although he couldn't discern why Knives was walking so oddly.

Two weeks later, the memory of his brother's warmth against his back was still slowly grinding away Vash's defenses.

_He's killed so many_, Vash reflected, trudging behind Knives again. At his brother's insistence, Vash's once light bag held rations and a bottle of water. It wore at the small of his back and his shoulders. _Rem raised us, and he sentenced her to death. He slaughtered countless humans, not only the people earlier but also the people in the destroyed ships. And he says he does it for our sake, so the humans won't destroy anymore. Doesn't he realize hate only creates more hate?_

Sighing, Vash focused his eyes on the straight-backed Plant walking ahead of him. Beyond Knives, Vash could see sand, sand, and more sand. Dreamily, he wondered if there was anything green on this planet, like flowers or trees or grass.

Unfortunately, that line of thinking only reminded Vash of the Geo-Plant, which reminded him of Rem.

Vash looked away from Knives and stared at the sand before his weary feet. He only had Knives now, the same being that killed Rem, that murdered all those humans, that hit him and dominated him.

Knives . . . his twin, his brother.

Only after his jaw began to cramp did Vash realized he was clenching his teeth. He forcibly relaxed and stared at the sand. The same hands that held him also beat him and killed so many humans. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get past that paradox. Knives encompassed both tender love and maniacal hate, and it killed something within the golden twin to realize how little he knew of his brother. How long had both sides been there, while he had seen only one? How many more were there? And how long would it take before the latter side came out again? The thought made him sick.

So intent on staring at the ground to avoid the figure and endless desert before him, Vash noticed instantly when the sand began to shift. He felt the ground shiver beneath his feet, saw the sand dance faintly. Stopping, Vash looked around for the source of the tremors but only saw Knives pausing ahead of him.

"Brother?" Knives called. "Are you well?"

Vash blinked at him. _He doesn't notice it? How can he not—_

He knew the moment Knives realized something was amiss. Both of the twins' heads snapped to the west as the tremor rose to a fierce rumble. Vash cried out as the ground rocked beneath him, and something exploded out of the sand in the distance.

"Vash!" Knives shouted, running towards him. Spellbound, Vash never noticed, only seeing the great creature leaping from the sand, its large body flying towards the sky before crashing down again. It slid back into the earth, out of view. Vash smiled in childish delight. A native to this world! A . . . a. . . .

"Sandworm?" Knives mused aloud, reaching Vash's side. Vash's smile faded as his brother offered him a hand up. Ignoring the proffered hand, the pacifistic Plant stood. Knives snatched his hand back as if slapped.

"Sandworm," Vash repeated softly to himself. Heh. He always thought worms were . . . well, small!

As Vash dusted himself off, eyes still on the worm's last location, Knives sidled closer. "The humans will kill it," he said aloud.

The younger Plant's eyes snapped towards Knives. "What are you talking about?"

Knives shrugged carelessly. His eyes were razor-sharp. "The humans. If they come across that creature, they'll kill it. Quite simple."

Vash clenched his fists. "How can you make verdicts so easily?" he seethed. "What right do you have to judge an entire species?"

An icy gaze swept over him, chilling the aqua-eyed youth to the bone. "The same way they judged us as inferior, as little more than simple-minded slaves." Knives smiled mockingly. "Oh, wait, not quite the same way. I have evidence for my belief. The extinction of entire species at their hands."

Vash's eyes blazed. "You never answered my question," he snarled. "What gives you the **right**!"

Knives faced his brother, oddly glowing with a vivacious light. A manic smile danced on his lips, the same Vash had seen when his twin had kicked him to the ground and shouted defiantly at the falling ships. "Because, Brother, I am superior. **We** are superior. That gives **both** of us the right. The only difference between us is I make use of my power."

Vash stepped back. He should have known. Things were going too peacefully. What a fool, actually beginning to believe again. Tears burned at the corners of Vash's eyes as he glared at Knives. "It grants us the right to commit the same atrocities you hate them for?" he demanded.

Pity shone in Knives' eyes. "You don't understand yet, do you, Vash?" he questioned softly. "Don't worry. You will soon." Turning on his heel, the older Plant balanced his bag and continued walking towards the horizon. After a long moment, Vash sucked in a shuddering breath and followed.

_So he hates them for murder, and then he does the same thing. I don't understand. How does that solve anything? It's madness!_

Too soon, the twin suns set, and Knives settled down for the night. Once again, his brother flashed those angry eyes at him, and for the life of him, Knives couldn't figure out why.

_Was it due to that conversation earlier?_ he wondered, setting some rations on the other side of the heat lamp for Vash. _It was the first real conversation we've had in a while. I think it went rather well. He seemed a little upset, but I think he listened. _The pale Plant smiled to himself, aware of his brother edging towards Knives' little camp. _I have time. I'll show him the truth about Her and Her miserable race. He's slowly coming around_.

Knives offered his brother a small smile as Vash silently sat by the lamp. His twin made no move to return the gesture, concentrating on his bottle of water. Knives shrugged and attended his own thirst.

_I have time. Something the humans don't have._

The wind had chilled the moment the "older" sun had set. Now with both suns sleeping, the desert temperature had drastically fallen. Hiding a shiver, Knives pulled his sleeping bag close to the heater and slipped inside. He began opening his bedroll a little more for Vash, but his brother was already opening his own bag.

_Stubborn_, Knives sighed to himself.Shrugging, he fluffed his pillow and settled down for the night. On the other side of the heat lamp, Vash did the same.

_Why are you fighting me on this, Brother?_ he inquired silently, staring at the stiff form across from him. _There is no need for us to be fighting. If you helped, we could easily have our Eden. Those maggots don't stand a chance already. Working together, we could quickly rid the world of their filth._

Vash's mental wall rebound those words back at Knives. Frowning, Knives stared at Vash. The wind picked up, chilling him through his sleeping bag. He knew his brother had to be cold, too.

_You're only hurting yourself, Vash!_ Knives urged. _Your stubbornness is helping no one, least of all yourself!_

Another breeze and Knives saw the long form shiver. The older twin tensed under the sleeping bag. One part of him wanted to leave Vash to face the cold, as a scolding and a reminder. However, another part, the part that longed to have Vash back in his arms, was stronger. Knives slowly slid his bag open. The younger twin shivered again, and Knives edged out of his own sleeping bag and closer to his brother's, each movement slow and smooth. He sensed Vah's wariness, but as the other Plant made no move to push him away, Knives continued creeping closer. He could see his little brother trembling with the cold. There was no need for that, not with Knives there.

As soon as Knives touched Vash, the golden-haired twin stiffened. Knives froze, Vash's hip warm and solid under his palm. Knives gave him a moment. Gauging his response and deciding Vash wasn't going to fight, Knives slid into the sleeping bag and gently pulled Vash into his arms. Vash didn't relax; he could feel the young Plant's heart pounding frantically beneath his palm. Tenderly, Knives stroked Vash's side and chest.

"I know you're angry with me, Vashu," Knives breathed in Vash's ear. The other seemed to stop breathing. "It's cold tonight, though. We can get warm together."

Vash remained silent. Knives peeked at Vash's face and narrowed his eyes. Clear in the light of the moons, the younger twin's face was screwed up—whether with concentration or due to distress, Knives didn't know—and he was biting his lower lip hard enough to bring blood.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Knives demanded, still petting Vash. He remembered, so long ago, comforting Vash when the golden twin awoke from one of his many nightmares, something Knives still suspected to be due to Tessla's restless spirit. Vash used to curl into his embrace. Now Vash cringed away. Knives sucked in a calming breath and continued caressing his brother. "Are you all right?"

Vash shuddered, the movement shaking Knives. "Just cold," he mumbled. The sound was nearly inaudible to even the other Plant's sharp ears. Vash shifted again, his bottom rubbing against Knives' groin. The taller Plant closed his eyes and reveled in the now familiar warmth in his lower stomach.

Then his eyes shot open.

"Hey!" Vash yelped as Knives' hand slid down from Vash's chest to cup the youth. Vash's organ throbbed hot and hard in his hand. Knives smiled in relief, absently rubbing Vash despite his brother's squirming.

"Was this all, Brother?" Knives questioned, amused. His hand never paused. By then, Vash was writhing. The boy's penis blazed hotly even through the suit. "This is perfectly natural."

Vash's eyes shot open. "But—but—but—ah!" Vash arched, and the material grew damp under Knives' hand. Fascinated by the feeling and its implications, Knives steadied his hand on Vash's groin.

"Oh, that filth can do this, too," Knives dismissed. "However, they're bound to it purely for reproduction purposes. For us, it's not nearly so primal." Finally, he lifted his hand from the soft organ and delicately sniffed it. A heavy, fruity aroma. Knives smiled. "For us, it's social. Bonding instead of imprisonment."

Vash huffed weakly. Wide, glassy eyes stared at Knives from a flushed face. Knives couldn't resist lightly kissing that cute face. Such a sweet brother. He hadn't completely lost him. Vash was still Knives'.

"I never—" Vash whispered. He swallowed thickly. "How did you find that out?"

That innocent question deserved another kiss. At times like this, Knives felt years older than his brother. He loved that feeling.

"The older Plants," Knives revealed. He kept the fact that he had discovered some things from Tessla's file to himself. There was no need to upset Vash, not when things were going so right. "They told me much." Playfully, he rocked his half-hard organ into his brother's bottom. Even through the layers, Vash felt it and gasped. 'We use it to be close to each other."

Vash resumed gnawing on his lip. Crimson dribbled down his chin. Knives kissed it away, enjoying the silky feel of his brother's skin and the intimacy of his blood.

"What about incest?" That question was the softest of all. Vash's body tensed again. Knives simply smiled. This question had been expected.

"Purely a human problem," Knives soothed him. "Their definition of 'family' is different than ours. Their genetic structure is far weaker than our own. 'Incest' does not exist for our kind."

The distress in Vash's eyes didn't fade, but he didn't protest, so Knives remained hopeful. The older twin hugged his brother.

"We're Plants," Knives explained patiently. "We don't reproduce like humans. We don't reproduce internally." He laughed at the ridiculous notion. "That would kill us!"

Vash paled. Knives resumed rubbing his torso. "Don't worry," he pacified. "Our reproduction is external, like our siblings'. Reproduction doesn't occur involuntarily. It needs to be triggered. You're not going to trigger it," he bumped Vash with his hard-on again, "and another Plant can't trigger it. You're safe."

Vash still shivered, and Knives received a brief image from his brother of the golden twin with a bloated stomach. Knives hugged him hard. "Don't worry," he reassured him. "You can't do it accidentally, another Plant can't cause it . . . you'll be fine."

Tenderly, Knives kissed Vash's face, struggling to kiss away the lingering fear. He ignored his own half-hearted arousal. Vash was allowing his touch. He wouldn't attempt for one in return.

In the back of his mind, Knives hoped his brother never realized how much of that conversation had been improvised.

xoxoxox

When Vash woke again, he found himself curled securely in his brother's embrace, his face buried in Knives' shoulder. He knew Knives was awake; the other's hands rubbed up and down his back, his lips brushing against Vash's unkempt spikes. Carefully, the youth shifted and cringed as he felt the crusty seed within his suit, cool and dry on his stomach and thighs. _Yuck_.

Knives smiled warmly at Vash when the younger Plant looked up. "Good morning," he murmured. "The first sun has just risen. It's time for us to go."

Vash smiled shyly back, too afraid to say anything. _What have I done? _he wondered. Still . . . it **had** felt good. He swallowed and eased out of Knives' grip. Knives allowed it, a smugness in his eyes that disturbed Vash. The smaller Plant's smile trembled. _But . . . but he has been nicer than he was when we first arrived. It. . . . Maybe . . . I can hope._

Leaving Knives to gather up the sleeping bags, Vash cleaned out his suit as best as he could. Then the twins began walking again.

Despite the pleasure and security he had felt the night before, Knives' words still haunted Vash. Walking behind the other twin, Vash studied his brother's back. Knives' steps were lively, and he was hurrying out of sight. Vash didn't mind. Their course had yet to waver. All he had to do was walk straight, and he would find his brother again.

_Maybe I can change his mind. If I stay close to him, maybe I can talk him out of this mad course._

And the fact that he wouldn't be alone also helped that decision.

Absent-mindedly, one of Vash's hands strayed from his bag strap to his flat stomach. If he could convince Knives, maybe they truly had hope for the future. He smiled faintly at the thought of little Plantlings. Were they inside his stomach like Knives had described? How did they get out to be like their siblings' babies? Were they going to look like their sisters someday? Vash bit back a snicker at the thought, his steps languid. Still . . . it would be interesting to have wings.

Knives had vanished out of sight in front of him. Vash was in no hurry to catch up. Until he caught up with him, Vash contented himself imagining Plantlings and his sisters. They were so pretty. He missed his other siblings.

"Vashu!" Knives appeared again. Vash graced him with a small smile. "Vashu, come here. I want you to see something!"

The excitement in Knives' voice coaxed a small chuckle from his little brother. Balancing his bag on his back, Vash hurried to Knives' location. The pale-haired Plant greeted him with a brilliant smile and grabbed his hand, pulling Vash behind him. Vash giggled at his brother's enthusiasm.

"Knives," he began, "what–" A hauntingly familiar structure appeared in the distance, and Vash gaped. Then he began to choke back the vomit rising in his throat. Vash stumbled and would have fallen to his knees, but Knives tightened his grip and kept jogging. Uncaring of his brother's gagging, Knives dragged Vash behind him.

"See, Vashu," Knives said cheerfully, "now they won't hurt your sandworm!"

This ship had suffered far more in the crash than the last one had. Its hull had been almost entirely destroyed. Tents scattered around the broken vessel, and there were already obvious signs of where the humans had adapted.

And scattered around the tents, scattered around the ship, were body parts. Torsos, limbs, blood, bones. Vomit dribbled down Vash's chin and tears down his cheeks as Knives grinned happily.

"Look what I learned!" he chirped, gesturing. Vash sobbed as blood and organs squished under his boots. "We can make blades, Vash! We can make feathers, just like our sisters. I wonder what else we can do."

Through tear-glazed eyes, Vash stared at a foot right in front of him. He believed the leg to his far right belonged to it, and he couldn't believe that he was thinking of that, that he was wondering what limbs belonged to what, and that was a heart by that tent, that was a heart, and he was going to throw up. Keening softly, Vash leaned over and vomited.

Knives stared blankly at him. Then he rolled his eyes. "They would have killed your sandworm," he sneered. "You know that, I know that. By killing them, I protected the sandworms **and **learned new things about our race. I think that's worth their piddling little lives."

The tents were painted red. Vash wept helplessly, and Knives yanked him upright again. The golden twin followed limply.

"Look at them!" Knives snapped, shoving Vash towards one of the tents. Vash cried out as an intestine grazed his nose. "They're nothing but pieces of meat!"

The younger Plant coughed, bitter, thick fluid rising hotly in his throat. "They look. . . ." he wheezed, "like Tessla."

All the color drained from Knives' face. With a furious cry, he threw his brother to the ground. Vash screamed as he fell in a puddle of blood and organs.

"**_Don't you ever compare that filth to our kind again!_**" Knives shrieked, oblivious to Vash's hysterics. "**_Don't you ever, ever say that again!_**"

Vash howled, scrambling out of the mess. His hand caught on a dismembered arm, and with a screech, he fell backwards again. Hateful eyes watched Vash writhe.

"Stay with your vile humans then!" Knives snapped. "I have better things to do then weep over piles of meat!"

Turning away, Knives left his brother there, coated in blood and guts and still howling.

_I never . . . even heard . . . them . . . scream. . . ._ Vash thought faintly before he passed out.

xoxoxox

Sometimes, words could be sharper than any dagger, could draw more blood than any bullet . . . or Angel Blade, as Knives had temporarily dubbed the attack. Still, Knives would lay bare his soul to any assault, _as long as Vash talked to him again_.

Weary to the bone, Knives still refused to look behind him, to see those wide, wild eyes in that pinched face. He had scrubbed the filth from his brother's body, but Vash had still scratched his skin raw several times since the incident. No longer did Vash join him for meals or sleep with him at night. No longer did Vash offer even the most tentative of smiles. Rarely could Knives look behind to check. The taller Plant knew that if he looked at Vash's face, beneath those wounded eyes, he would see a vivid bruise standing in sharp contrast to his brother's white, white skin. A frantic attempt to wake Vash from a nightmare, where Vash screamed at Knives to "_go away, go away, stop the bleeding, stop the blood!_".

_He needed to see_, Knives convinced himself, staring straight forward. _He needed to see the difference between those maggots and ourselves_. He stalwartly ignored his brother's ragged breathing.

He heard Vash's steps falter, but Knives kept walking. Clenching his jaw, Knives quickly studied the sky. The first of the twin suns was setting with the "younger" sun lagging behind. Pushing aside the pang in his heart, Knives clenched his jaw and raised his chin.

To his surprise, Knives spotted some footprints disturbing the sand ahead of him. An ugly sneer twisted his lips. After a moment's listening, he determined Vash was a decent distance behind him. Just to be on the safe side, Knives sped up. He'd find the humans, kill them, and still have time to hide the bodies before Vash arrived. Stress relief without Vash's arguing and whining. Perfect.

He thought he heard Vash whimper behind him.

Knives never looked back.

–

Biting his lip, Vash watched Knives disappear behind the next sand dune. Was he going to find another bloodbath? Would there be more mutilated corpses? Would Knives mock the dead like he did before?

"Rem," Vash wept, falling to his knees. His cheek ached where Knives had again struck him, his body burned, Knives wasn't even stopping for him anymore, and _he didn't care what that murderer did!_ Gasping for breath, the skinny blond punched the sand before dropping back to his heels. "Damn you, Knives. Damn you!"

Wheezing faintly, Vash glared at the sand. He saw his–_Knives_' light footsteps hurrying up ahead of him. Scowling at the prints, he followed the tracks with his eyes . . . and gaped at several unfamiliar trails.

"Humans?" he whispered. He stared at those footprints and frowned in confusion as they disappeared before they reached the sand dune. At first glance, they looked like they were going up and over. At another glance, though, it looked like– "They've turned around?"

"We heard people following us," an unfamiliar voice clarified. With a gasp, Vash flipped over, landing on his ass. Wide eyes stared at three sunburnt humans looming over him. The one in the lead, a tall brunet, continued. "We thought they might have supplies, but all we've found is a skinny desert rat."

Vash swallowed past the thick lump in his throat. Their eyes . . . were so cold. Oh, Rem!

"Hello," he greeted, struggling to keep his voice cheerful. Under the weight of those ruthless eyes, it was hard. "My name is–"

"Look at his face!" another man interrupted rudely. "Looks like someone _beat_ us to his stuff!"

Vash flinched. The three men laughed.

"Let's just see what he has," the first man drawled, his eyes never leaving Vash's bruised face. "We'll just . . . improvise."

_Rem . . . please . . . help me._

–

With an exasperated sigh, Knives studied the desert around him. Nothing. Not even any more footprints. It was like they vanished!

_The wind could have blown away their tracks,_ he mused, staring at the sand beneath his feet for a moment longer before looking up. _The sand dune might have protected the set of tracks I saw_.

A line of smoke in the sky caught his eye and derailed his train of thought. Curious, Knives followed it down. He smirked. _A fallen ship._ His smile faltered for a moment. _I'll have to backtrack a bit. Not much, though. I'll just go around Vash. He'll never see me._

Knives glanced at the sand dune. No sign of Vash yet. After he cleared out some of the vermin, he would find a good place for Vash to rest. Despite his new rebellion, Vash was too tired to argue too much.

Satisfied, Knives trotted towards the smoke.

–

"Damn, just a half-empty bottle of water and a couple ration bars."

"He must have more! He wouldn't have lasted this long with only that!"

"Probably stolen from his whiny ass."

"Fuck."

"Doesn't matter."

"Why not?"

"Check out that pretty face. We can make do."

"Ah. . . ."

_I won't scream out for Knives. I won't turn to that murderer when things get bad._

"Even with that bruise, he's sweet."

_Am I going to end up like Tessla? Rem . . . are you waiting for me?_

"Damn. Pretty little shit."

_Rem._

–

Knives jogged to the site of the crash. He had to hurry. He didn't want to make Vash suspicious. The pale Plant smiled proudly. The humans hadn't completely spoiled his little brother. As much as he hated Vash's protests, his sweet brother had a vivacious spirit. Once he convinced Vash to join him, he would make a powerful ally. Or perhaps, once Vash stopped arguing, he would set him in a safe place. No reason for his brother to dirty himself anymore.

As Knives came closer to the smoking ship, his contented smirk faded into a disappointed pout. Already, he could see the bodies sprawled around the ruins. Pausing, Knives closed his eyes and reached out. The first thing he encountered–as always–was his brother's wall. With a small sigh of disappointment, he continued sweeping around him until his mind focused on the ship. Knives scowled. All of the weaklings were dead. After opening his eyes, the young Plant hurried to the remains. If nothing else, he could find more supplies. Vash deserved them far more than this trash.

The Plant's pale face wrinkled into a disdainful sneer as he came close. Not death by dehydration and heat as he originally assumed. Of course, he had been gracious in giving them the benefit of the doubt concerning that. And where had his graciousness gotten him? Knives raised his nose as he daintily stepped around the corpses. Bullet wounds littered the carcasses. When their entire race was fighting for survival on this new world, all they could think about were themselves. Disgusting.

A splash of blood caught his eye. Chin high, Knives glared at it–and froze. These maggots didn't die by bullets.

"And this is the race you wish to save, Brother?" he hissed furiously, staring at the mangled bodies of three children. Not a single bullet had touched their flesh. "This is what you are fighting me to protect?"

Shivering with rage, Knives looked around for supplies. All he saw was–

"Footprints," Knives whispered. His mind flashed back to the trail he had seen before. "Three sets of footprints." His head snapped back to the dead human children, then back to the footprints, then back to the children. Eyes wide, Knives noticed their blood had barely dried, even in the scorching heat of the two suns. "That trash is still around."

_Vash? Vash, answer me! Stop being such a childish brat and answer me!_

His words rebound against Vash's mental wall.

–

_I . . . I won't scream for Knives. I _won't!_ They won't make me. I won't . . . I won't . . . I won't call for him and please, please Rem _help me!

–

Knives' breath whistled harshly out of his nostrils as he sprinted back to where he left Vash. Even as he tried to convince himself that the ones who killed those humans were long gone, something small and cold pounded inside his chest. Even in the heat of the remaining sun, his skin rose in goosebumps.

_Vashu!_ he screamed. _Vashu! Brother! Answer me! Please!_

His words slammed against an icy mental wall.

–

_It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts! I want to be with Rem! Rem! Rem!_

**_Rem!_**

–

Vash's mental wall was becoming less like ice and more like a shattered mirror, Knives' calls shivering against the reflective surface. His shouts bounced against the trembling shards, returning to Knives splintered and frantic. The slender Plant gasped as he poured more strength into his trembling legs. Before they had landed on this planet, neither Plant had particularly exercised beyond Vash's happy bouncing. Now only his fear kept Knives' legs moving.

_I'm sorry for hitting you!_ he apologized shrilly, only one sand dune hiding his brother from him._ Don't leave me like Tessla did! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Don't leave!_

The wall shuddered.

–

_Rem. . . ._

_. . . Rem. . . ?_

_Knives. . . ?_

–

Knives heard the laughter before he saw them over his brother's prone, bloodied form. He thought he heard screaming, but it was too far away to tell. The three men looked up, red faces still twisted in sick pleasure, before the spine ripped out of the one hovering over Vash. The other two paled and dropped Vash.

That was the last thing they ever did.

Their blood cooled and mingled with Vash's. Only when Knives tossed their corpses aside did he recognize the scream as his own. Uncaring, he pulled his brother's limp body into his arms. Body fluids soaked into his pants. The stench was overwhelming. He never noticed.

"Vashu?" Knives choked out. "Vashu, can you hear me? Vashu?"

Sightless aqua eyes stared at Knives. Knives' cries echoed endlessly in the hall of mirrors that now composed Vash's psychic wall.


End file.
